{{Short description|Wife of a rabbi}} {{For|use of the term to denote a woman rabbi|Women rabbis}} [[File:Rabbi and Rebbetzin Simon Glazer in 1917.jpg|thumb|''Rabbi'' Simon Glazer and his wife, ''Rebbetzin'' Ida Glazer (née Cantor), 1917]] [[File:Alter of Slabodka with Wife.jpg|thumb|Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel with his wife, Rebbetzin Gittel Finkel]] [[File:Esther Jungreis at Scott Air Force Base.jpg|thumb|Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis]]
{{Jews and Judaism sidebar}} '''Rebbetzin''' ({{langx|yi|רביצין}}) or '''Rabbanit''' ({{langx|he|רַבָּנִית}}) is the title used for the wife of a rabbi—typically among Orthodox, Haredi, and Hasidic Jews—or for a female Torah scholar or teacher.
== Etymology == The Yiddish word has a trilingual etymology: Hebrew, רבי ''rabbí'' ("my master"); the Slavic feminine suffix, -ица (''-itsa''); and the Yiddish feminine suffix, ין- ''-in.''<ref>{{cite web|title=Rebbetzin|url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/rebbetzin|website=Your Dictionary|access-date=18 September 2017}}</ref>
== Community roles == In many Orthodox communities, rebbetzins have the role of spiritual counselors. In circles such as the Hasidic dynasty of Belz, the girls schools are run by the rebbetzin.
The rabbi's wife plays an important community role, especially in small communities. In many ways, she is called on to be as knowledgeable as the rabbi in the realm of woman's observances: In this manner, for something that does not require a ''psak'' (ruling), she can be approached when a woman does not feel comfortable approaching the rabbi, or where the rabbi maybe should not be approached. For instance, the rebbetzin may be consulted in personal questions regarding female sexuality.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wolowelsky |first1=Joel |title=Rabbis, Rebbetzins, and Halakhic Advisors |journal=Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought |date=Winter 2002 |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=54–63 }}</ref>
When a rabbi is a "pulpit rabbi" (versus a teacher or a "lay rabbi"), his rebbetzin may become something of a "first lady" of the community, performing social tasks and ceremonial roles.
With the growth of independent leadership roles among Orthodox women, some women have received the title on their own merit, irrespective of their husbands.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rebbetzin|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rebbetzin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918154355/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rebbetzin|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 18, 2017|website=Oxford English Dictionaries|accessdate=18 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Frank |first1=Laura |title=Yeshivish Women Clergy: The Secular State and Changing Roles for Women in Ultra-Orthodoxy |url=https://www.thelehrhaus.com/commentary/yeshivish-women-clergy-the-secular-state-and-changing-roles-for-women-in-ultra-orthodoxy/ |website=Lehrhaus |date= February 21, 2017 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>
== See also == * Women in Judaism * Women rabbis
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.jewishaction.com/religion/women/portraits-rabbinic-women/ Jewish Action Magazine: Portraits of Rabbinic Women]
{{Women in Judaism}}
Category:Rebbetzins Category:Judaism and women Category:Jewish culture Category:Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles